Miami Heat surprise baby girl in South Florida with a college scholarship

The Miami Heat did a very nice thing for a very young Heat fan.

Next to Victoria Ortiz’s crib in Hialeah, Florida, is a big check.

When Shadi Vazquez and Edgardo Ortiz arrived at the South Miami hospital in early November, they expected to come home with Victoria, but not the four-year college scholarship that big check represents.

The Miami Heat and Ultimate Software worked together to provide the first female baby born at a Baptist hospital on Nov. 9 — the day the team debuted its city edition “Vice Nights” jerseys and campaign — with a four-year Florida Prepaid college scholarship. Presented to the family by the Heat Dancers, the initiative to empower women in South Florida has assured one family with financial support to send their daughter to college.

“God is so good,” Vazquez told The Step Back. “She wasn’t supposed to be born then. Everything happened so perfect. I felt like she knew about the scholarship, because she came out flying.”

Victoria was born at 7:30 am on Friday, Nov. 9, but her due date wasn’t until two days later on Sunday. The family’s doctor, however, wanted to induce. And Victoria: “She wanted the scholarship,” Vazquez said.

Around 10 o’clock that morning, hospital staff came into the room where the family was resting and said they had a surprise. Vasquez and Ortiz thought maybe a family member from out of town came to surprise them. The last thing they thought was that a group of the Miami Heat Dancers would be presenting their one-and-a-half hour old child with prepaid college tuition.

“Then we started crying. Everyone was crying,” Vazquez said.

The parents were already planning on starting a college fund, but now they have one less thing to worry about as their child comes into the world.

“We’re going to have her supported 100 percent no matter where she wants to go and what she wants to study,” Vazquez said. “It’s a huge relief and I’m sure we’re going to take full advantage of this.”

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After a successful Vice campaign last season in which the white Vice jerseys were the highest selling city edition jersey in the league, the Heat decided to take the program up a notch. That’s included fan-friendly novelties like the redesigned court, custom license plates and oodles of merchandise. But the Heat also wanted to spend the campaign, which they describe as for the day oners, investing back into the community.

Vazquez and Ortiz grew up in Miami and have lived in Hialeah for four years. They grew up with the Heat and fondly remember the team’s first championship in 2006 and refer to the area as “Wade County.” Ortiz said he always has a Heat or other Miami sports team shirt on. “Especially on the weekends.”

They love going to games on Biscayne Boulevard, where they see the lucky one of 21,000 fans winning giveaways. Now they’re the fortunate ones.

“Especially the first girl born at the Baptist hospitals. It’s incredible that there are so many babies born every minute and she was the first one born at 7:30 in the morning,” Ortiz said. “There’s no words to explain how grateful we are for her to come and to join us, and have this great opportunity to happen to her hours after she’s born. It’s unreal. We still can’t believe it.”

Ortiz and Vazquez talk in full agreement about their good fortune and thankfulness for their daughter’s future. What they don’t agree on, however, is the future of the novelty check next to Victoria’s crib.

“She doesn’t want it framed,” Ortiz said. “But I’m going to frame it.”